De Anza College student reportedly raped on campus

NEWS

by Heather Cassell

Stacie Rowe, left, president of the De Anza Associated
Student Body, and Karla Xo Navarro, discussed the reported sexual assault of a
fellow student on campus during a November 8 meeting. (Photo: Jo-Lynn Otto)

Students at De Anza College in Cupertino were shocked when
they received an email from campus police last week informing them of a
reported on-campus rape of a fellow student.

The 19-year-old female student, who identified as pansexual
or transgender, according to multiple media reports, reported the rape to a
faculty member November 6 at 11:30 a.m., according to KTVU News.

The incident reportedly occurred November 4 in the women's
bathroom of the Media and Learning Center in broad daylight while classes were
in session between 1 and 2 p.m.

Officials told the news station that the victim was taken to
the health services office where personnel contacted campus police.

Media reports said that a suspect, who has not been
arrested, was apparently an acquaintance of the victim.

Marisa Spatafore, director of marketing, communications, and
development at De Anza College, was unable to confirm the victim's sexual
orientation or gender identity or speak about the incident due to it being
under investigation by the Santa Clara County Sheriff's office, she told the Bay
Area Reporter in an email.

The sheriff's office is investigating the incident as a
possible hate crime as the victim is considered a member of the LGBT community,
according to media reports and Stacie Rowe, a 19-year-old lesbian who is the
student body president at De Anza College.

Reached Tuesday, November 12, Stenderup would only confirm
that the incident occurred November 4 and was reported to campus police two
days later. He would not confirm the victim's sexual orientation, gender
identity, or age.

This is the first time a rape has happened on the community
college campus in more than 30 years, said Joe Mauss, records specialist at the
De Anza College Campus Police Department.

A miniature replica of bigger universities like Stanford,
the campus of about 22,000 students is quiet and casual. Trees throughout the
campus and a sculpted fountain hide its proximity to Highway 85.

Mauss described the college as "boring as the norm."

De Anza students on campus before the holiday weekend were
still in shock over the incident.

This was the first incident of an alleged hate crime on
campus that Rowe has heard of, she told the B.A.R.

De Anza College has an aggressive anti-rape policy as well
as a hate crime policy. There haven't been any reported hate crimes on campus
since 2010, according to the college's 2013 security report.

Black "Safety Zone" stickers with pink inverted
triangles are posted all over the student union building and around campus. The
Rainbow Club's signs are prominently posted around the center. The school is
actively adding LGBT studies to its curriculum, Spatafore said.

"I was really hoping the person on the receiving end
was okay," said Brockett.

Professor Julie Lewis, who is one of the advisers to the
Rainbow Club, said the reported incident was a reminder that more needs to be
done.

"In terms of an LGBT community at De Anza, we, just as
most institutions of higher learning, try to provide support to all of our students
no matter their identity," said Lewis, who identifies as a queer woman of
color. "The alleged assault is a tragic reminder that we still have lots
of work ahead of us in the fight for social justice."

The assault was the topic of discussion at the weekly
Rainbow Club meeting on November 7, said Brockett.

The discussion at the club was around safety and protecting
each other, Brockett said, but the LGBT students were also resolved not to be
scared.

At least three of the eight executive committee members of
the Associated Student Body identify as LGBT and they, along with their
colleagues, are taking the reported sexual assault seriously.

It was the top item on the executive committee's afternoon
agenda Friday, November 8.

"I've been a mess ever since I found out about
it," Benjamin Pacho, chair of Student Rights and Services, said during the
meeting. "I was 50 feet away in class. I'm pretty destroyed by that, especially
since it's an LGBT issue."